Carpe Diem

It’s nine-fifteen and bedtime took too long, once again – –
Another drink, another glass of water, and then,
The questions come, the hands held tight, and eyes are open wide.
And something in me whispers, “Now’s the time.”

Mummy why did Muffy die? Daddy, where is the sun?
Are there cats in heaven? Does God love me?
And though a whole day’s dishes wait, and bills are piled high,
Something in me whispers, “Take the time.”

Take the time, while they’re right by your side,
Take the time while their arms are opened wide.
Teach them how to love with all their heart and mind,
Oh, they’re only home a season, take the time.

His baseball game’s tomorrow, but so is my interview.
How can I play Monopoly when there’s so much to do?
Little faces plead with me to put my work aside.
And something in me whispers, “Take the time.”

For one day they will want to spend time alone.
One day they’ll need to be on their own.
Very soon their hugs may not seem quite the same –
May the word home always be an honored name.

(The American Mother Magazine, Alexandria, Virginia:
American Mothers, Inc, Winter 2008, Back Cover).

Carpe Diem means “Sieze the Day” and was used in the movie: Dead Poet’s Society